Connected – Week 3 – Authorities Matter

Romans 13:1-10

How many of you want to be like your parents when you grow up? How many of you say, “I will never do that when I have kids?” Do any of your parents have a rule that you absolutely hate? Ugh…my mom used to make me eat lima beans. And I couldn’t get up from the table until I ate them. Other than that, I was a perfect child.

Recap of our relationship series: Our relationship with God is our most important and most foundational relationship. But, it is played out through all of our other relationships. We cannot separate our relationship with God from our relationship with others. And we asked the crucial question – the question that is guiding this whole series: Is the way I act towards others, in each one of my relationships, accurately reflecting who God is?

Last week we looked at one of these relationships – relationships with friends. We saw that we should avoid unhealthy relationships and establish healthy ones. We read Proverbs 13:20 which says, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” We saw that the friends we choose to have matter and will determine the direction and quality of our lives.

Tonight, we’re looking at another one of these relationships – relationships with those in authority.

Turn to Romans 13:1-7. What we’re going to do is walk through these verses and see the significance they have in our lives and in these relationships.

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

13:1 – This is the basis of this message. God is the ultimate authority. Even more than that, God is the only authority. God is the only One who is truly in charge. Nobody else is, even if they think they are. Kings even do the bidding of the sovereign hand of God…He moves them like puppets. It’s Sesame Street to Him. Big Bird thinks he owns the place – nuh uh – He moves as God pleases – He doesn’t own the street, God does. Any authority that someone has has been given by God. So, when we obey authorities, we obey them not because of that authority, but because of the authority that put them there.

“Those that exist have been instituted by God.” So, what are these authorities that exist?This is how we’re going to break them down: Parents and Other authority figures (teachers, law enforcers, bosses, etc.). God has placed them in authority, so we must be subject to them – we must obey them – submit to them.

13:2 – If you resist an earthly authority, you are resisting the heavenly authority. If you resist authority, you Will incur judgment. Judgment is getting what you deserve. If momma is cooking and says, “Don’t touch that. It’s hot.” What are you going to do? Well, some of you are going to touch it, cause momma don’t know what she’s talking about. “Momma always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know whatcha gonna get.” Well, if you touch that stove, I know what you’re gonna get, and so does momma! You’re going to get burned! If you disob